This team will be merged shortly with the Ubuntu Quality Team. Please join the new team!

What is the Bug Squad?

The Bug Squad is an essential asset in progressing Ubuntu and its derivatives; The Bug Squad is the first point of contact for the bugs filed about Ubuntu. Members assign bugs to packages, ensure that bug reports are complete, find duplicate bug reports, recreate bugs, and forward bugs to their upstream authors. All of these activities help bugs get fixed and subsequently make Ubuntu even better.

What the Bug Squad does is also known as Triaging, which is similar to the process of prioritizing patients in a hospital based on the severity of their condition. This allows developers to spend their time more effectively, and is a great way to learn about how Ubuntu works as an operating system and as a community. It’s also not uncommon for triagers to discover new and interesting features they didn't know about!

Bug triage is an excellent way to start helping out. You get to learn a lot about Ubuntu, its available packages, its infrastructure, and you get a feel for the development pulse.

Another big part of what we do is help new members triage bugs; On average, over 1,800 bugs are filed every week with more than 500,000 bugs filed so far. The Bug Squad is always in NEED of more help from the community!

Who makes up the Bug Squad?

Anyone interested in triaging bugs can join the Bug Squad. The members are primarily volunteers from around the world and they come together with a common cause of making Ubuntu better for everyone. No special knowledge or training is required, just a desire to help. Currently there are about 1050 registered members.

Contact us!

IRC: Ubuntu Bug Squad members can always be contacted through IRC on the #ubuntu-bugs channel on irc.freenode.org for help or collaboration.

Mailing List: The Ubuntu Bug Squad also can be contacted through our Mailing List, feel free to contact us if you have any doubt while triaging a bug.

Activities

The Bug Squad typically runs Hug Days on a regular basis, this is a great way to work with people and learn by getting your hands dirty right away.

Want to start practising with easy to manage bugs? Visit the One Hundred Papercuts project to make it a nutshell!

Want to do a little everyday? Join the 5-a-day team to keep Ubuntu healthy!

Want to join?

If you completed the previous steps, apply for membership on the Bug Squad team at Launchpad.

When joining the Bug Squad, please keep up-to-date with bug management policies. Changes are always announced on the mailing list. For further information feel free to subscribe to the wiki changes or check with other members on #ubuntu-bugs channel on freenode.